Manifolding device



June 9, 1925 1,541,287

1 J. Q. SHERMAN MANIFOLDING DEVICE a Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11, 1922 V INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS,

. 154L287 VJ. Q. sHERMAN MANIFOLDING DEVICE Filed May 11, 1,922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2;

' [.VVIENTOR.

.-1TTORNEY.S.

June 9, 925. 1,541,287

J. Q. SHERMAN MANIFOLDING DEVICE File y 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 5 d fi ' IN V ENTOR.

A TTORNEYS Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATE'NTfOFFICE.

Joint a: snnnman, or DAYTON, onto.

MANIFOLDING DEVICE.

Application filed May 11, 1922. Serial no. 560,237."

To all who/1M way concern:

die it know that I, JOHN Q. SHERMAN, a

' citizen of the United States, and a resident and Among other things I show a complete manifoldin'g machine having paper storing feeding, means and speclal means of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery vised for use with the pin chase-method of and State of Ohio, have invented certa n new and useful Improvements in Manifold-'1' ing Dev-ices, of which the following is a full,

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. I a

My invention relates to manifolding devices wherein the number ofv Webs of paper are imprinted with a 'like notation, thereby serving as plural forms of the same nature. There are severalknown ways of forming plural copies inmanifolding, one of which is to employ carbon paper between the various webs of paper, so as to transfer the impressions made on the topmost web, and another of which is to employ a ribbon which is dis-' posed in several strands between the webs to be printed.

My invention relates to an entirely difl'erent mode of forming plural impressions, namely, by employing as the imprinting member,- a penetrating device which passes through all of the webs to be marked and is later withdrawn, leaving a like mark on each web.

In theembodiment of the invention shown in this application I employ a typewriter of ordinary form and insert between the printing point of the typewriter and the paper support, a chase or carrier which mounts the penetrating devices or pins, these pins being adapted to be given movement by the type on the machine type bars.

Tn more specific terms. it is my object to provide a "writing medium for use with plural iwebs'ot paper, which is made up of a mass of independently movable pins, which will be depressed and in composite take the form of any member pressed against the asseu'ibly.

In connection wlth a luauitoldmg Inaellin -employing a movable typewriter, it is my object to provide means forthe installation of such au assembly of pins, same being termed by me the pin chase, and for the stripping of the paper from the. chase and rectifying of the pins ready for another operation.

Also in connection with the pin chase it is my object to provide means for inking the pins and for adjusting the relative tension between pins.

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly broken away, showing the partsin Figure 2, with a part of-the machme frame indicated.

Figure 4 is an enlarged top plan viewof a pin assembly such as is used in the case.

Figure 5 is a detail plan view of a corner of the stripper device.

Figure 6'is a perspective view of a complete machine embodying my invention,

Figure 7 is a view showing an enlarged view of the form of printing provided by my invention. 4

Figure 8. is a detail side elevation and plan of the chase supporting track and elevating device used in the rectifying portion of: the machine.

Figure 9 is a detail of a form of type bar and type face preferably used with my novel pin chase.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of the chase support and stripper in their normal relation, this view beingtaken so as to show the left hand side of the parts illustrated facing downwardly.

Figure 11 is a detail top plan view turned at a right angle to Figure 10, showingthe master form and indicator.

Figure 12 is a detail side elevation of the chase. partly broken away to show several of the pins. a

Figure 13 is a top plan view of a substitute method of installing paper and rectifying the pins, same being also projected to show an end elevation.

Figure 14 is a detail plan view of the ma-' Figure 16 is a section of the chase frame.- The machine s shown as having a frame 1, which has tracks 2, on which slides the typewriter machine 3. This is the usual form of flat bed machines in which the typewriter support moves for line spacing, andthe main body of the'typewriter moves for letter spacing.

fed off from the rolls and along the platenbymeans of pin wheels? energized in the machine illustrated by an electric motor 8.

' I have not attempted to show in detail the.

feeding devices for the paperand merely desire to note that I have located the feeding .devices behind that portion of the platen on which the manifolding is done, so asto force the paper forward to the printing point. This is not essential, but it brings the feeding devices out of the way of the chase manipulating members and permits the printed copies to be cut off and lifted away toward the rectifying device,

.when the chase is moved to the rectifying point; U

The frame "of the machine is formed with walls 9,9, alongside of the bed, and with a rectifying frame 10 havinga bed 11 against which the chase is lowered.

Set into the bed of the machine are a series of four screws 12, the main portions of which lie in countersunk holes in the bed,

Springs 13 are set around the screws in the counter-sunk holes and below the heads of the screws, said springs engaging and pressing toward the heads, the washers 14. The stripper frame 15 is provided with bifurcated projections 16, which engage over the screws and are pressed upwardly toward the heads by means of the washers. The stripper frame mounts a finely perforated or foraminated screen or plate 17 and the paper is led over the plane-beneath this plate.

To mount the pin chase I provide a frame 18' of U-shape with the open side turned This frame provides a track for the chase and. is supported over the platen by means of four pins 19, which extend down through holes in the platen.

The chase is titled with rollers 21, 22, on eacli side, said rollers 21 being placed further from the side of the chase or else made of greaterwidth than the rollers 22. The rollers ride on the short legs of the U-shaped supporting frame, as will be .noted from Figure 2.

I The rectifying frameis formed with rails 23, which are set so as to form continuations of the short legs of the supporting frame, and the-frame wall that confines the formed with a frame proplaten of the machine is cut away to permit the chase to slide from the U-shapcd frame onto the rails 23.

The rails 23 have notches cut into them into which the rollers of the-chase will drop, there being notches 2 -l to-take the rollers 21 and the notches 25 to take the rollers 22.

As shown, each rail 23 is split partially. down the center, so as to mount depressible .plates 26, which are readily forced down by the. chase when it rides on the rails 23.

These plates 26 and the pins 19 of the chase supporting frame are both actuated in a i 28, so that when one ofthe shafts is ope'r ated, the other will be-operated also.

The one shaft 2! of each pair has'a lever 29 for operating it. The left handlever 29 operatesthe shaft assembly for the rectifying device plates, and the right hand one operates the shaft assembly for the pins '19 of the chase supporting frame.

()n each of the shafts 27, are small cams 30 which engage the plates 26 or pins 19- as the case may be, and there force them up.

In practice the cams 30 on the far sides of the supporting frame and the rectifying frame are of greater size or pitch than the ones-at the adjacent portions of said memchase with it, and will at the same time be tilted toward the'rectifying frame rails 23.'

The operation of the lever for the rectifying frame will force up the lifting plates 26,

and thus pressup on the rollers 22 of the chase frame, thereby lifting the rollsfrom the notches in the rails, and at the same time tilting the chase toward the supporting frame.

The chase frame is formed with one side bar at least channeled out as atSO and a piece 31 is set in this channel and held in adjustment by means of abutment screws 32 held in the said side bar. By turningdown ,the screws, the pieceBLmay be forced inwardly of the frame, .tliereby controlling the space confined thereby. I

On'the lowerportion of the chase frame I mount a screen or finely perforated or foraminated plate 33, against which I place a pad of felt 34,and on the base of the felt 3& I place another like screen or foraminated" 105 bers, so that when the lever 29 for thesu porting frame is rocked, the frame will e. lifted away frem the platen carrying the printing, the pins will have their points. flush witli'the bottom screen, and they taper will be such thatafter a depression of any pin far enough to make the desired imprint, the upper screen will engage the pin between the point-and its largest diameter and hold it from further downward movement.

With the pins being cylindrical and the most convenient form of the chase being square, the result will be an arrangement of the pins in the pattern indicated in Figure 4. Thc'adjustment of the chase serves to give the desired rigidity to the pin pack, but when using the cylindrical shank fpr the pins, each pin will' only have a four line contact with the other pins, so that the tendency for one pinto drag the others will be negligible.

The preferred form of type used on the type bars of the typewriter has been illustrated in Figure 9, wherein the base of the type piece, as at 36, has'the letter 37 (A) formed in aconsiderably elevated manner rather more pronounced than in the usual typewriter, and also preferably thinner than the contact ends of the pins, so as to procure the finest possible printing. or lineation.

In operation, the device is used as follows: The operator having set his stripper plate in position, leaves it"there, since it works automatically. He feeds a plurality of webs of paper along the platenbeneaththe stripper during the periodwhen it is raised by means of the springs and washers The chase, having the pin assembly therein properly tensioned, is set on the supporting frame, which is at that time'in elevated position by reason of its mounting pins being raised. The supporting frame is then lowered and the type writer drawn over the chase ready for wrii mg. v

\Vriting is done in the usual manner and each type face will press down an assembly of pins, following the outlines of the'type' face, with the result of forming a perforation by the pins struck down, as shown in Figure 7, whereinfthe perforatlons are arranged to make the letters JQS. The showmg in Figure? is enlarged over the preferred slze of type used with a typewriter.

- passed under the The pins have preferably their tapered points formed in a number of veins 14:

which act as an ink space, thereby enabling the points to readlly carry on their surface sufficient ink from'the pad between the two mounting screens to" mark in ink the outlines of each perforation on all superimposed paper webs.

'As many webs of paper as desired are stripper screen, since I have found that the pins will clearly mark as many webs of paper as the pin points will penetrate, which is naturally quite large. The typewriter is thus operated as usual, and the chase is made large enough to provide a printing medium for the full sized form which it is letter which it is desired to write.

When the writing is finished, the typewriter is moved away and the lever 29 for desired to fill in, or the,

the supporting frame; is thrown down:

against its stop 29 whereupon the chase will be raised while the stripper plate prcvents the paper from-being pulled up as the pins are withdrawn from it. The stripper plate rises only enough to permit paper to pass under it and does not follow the supporting frame.

When'the frame is raised, the chase will be tilted toward the rectifying device and will move of itself or can be pushedtoward the said device, so that it rides on the rails 28 and forces down'the elevating plates 26. The rollers of the chase will drop into the notches 24 in the rails 23, when the chase is entirely over the rectifying bed; there dropping the pins that project from the lower screen of the chase against the bed and forcing them back to normal position;

I provide a heavy hinged plate 40 hinged above the rectifying bed and held in open position by a stop 41. This plate may be. lowered until its studs 42 at the free'end thereof contact with stops 43, on the platen frame. This will permit the plate to come down over the top of the pin assembly without such force as to blunt any of the pins and will give afurther movement to any pin which has been forced out of a true level at the upper face of the assembly.

A roller, operated over the chase, would effect the same result.

The operator at this time pulls out the It will be noted that I do away with car-' bon paper entirely and that I form an impression which is -well inked around each tiny hole. The fact that the pins stay in depressed position while the entire written operation is being performed tends to insure also that a fully outlined penetration will.

' be made.

As giving the operator a guide in printmg, and avoidlng the necessity of bringing onewebof paper over the top of the chase,

I'provide a master plate 50 on the side of the machine frame on which is arranged one of the forms that is to be filled out. An arrow 51, mounted on the carriage of the typewriter and thus moving with it, passes over the master form, thereby giving the operator an absolute guide asto where each letter will appear on the printed forms beneath.

\Vhen used for writing multiple letters or the like, I find that a piece'of thin paper laid over the chase and held in any desired way does not interfere with the full operation of the pins. This web of pa'peris not to be preserved, since it will-be in the form of a stencil when the writing is completed. A master stencil could also'be transferred to the top of the pins by painting it on the tops of the pins. Except for use with ruled paper no master is necessary, since the top of the chase is perfectly-legible.

As an alternative-method. offeeding pa-' per into the machine and providing for rectifying the pins, I provide in the frame- 'work of' the machine instead of a fixed platen, a movable platen, which is made up of a plate and a printing platen plate 61 of material that will not blunt the pins. The forms to be written'on are collated over the portion (31 and held in place, for

example, by pins The forms are set in place 1nd ividually or in sets on the pins, and the platen pushed into the frame on a shoulder provided for this purpose. This will bring the paper under the stripper and will movethe steel plate out of the way.

After the web has been writtenupon, the chase .will be lifted and the platen pulled out, exposing the printed web, and bringing the plate under the pins. The operator will" f'ormed carried with the chase thrOughwhichthe then drop the chase against the plate, which wilL bring the pins into line with the tops on a plane surface. The chase will then be lifted, the platen bearingnew forms will be returned to writing position, and the chase lowered for writing purposes. i

There are many ways in which the pin assembly device may be employed for making plural copies, and in this application I have merely attempted to describe one form of machine which will readily employ the device. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new .and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:'

1.'A means for printing plural copies,

which comprises an assembly of pins havingindependent movement, means for holding the pins together so as to permit of the de-.

pression of selected pins to' penetrate the plural copies, and means for applying ink to the pins priorto their penetration ofthe plural-cop'ies. y a

2. A printing device for pluralcopies, comprising an assembly of pins, means for holding them together, so .as to permit the individual pins-to be depressed, said pins "preferably having cylindrical shanks, and

paper penetratingpoints, and means for applying ink to the penetrating portionsof the pins prior to their penetration of the I plural copies.

2 A- pin chase for the purpose described,

comprisingin combination, a frame, a mass of'pins arranged parallel with each other and abutting each other Within the frame, said'mass being held in the frame so as to permitindividual movement of selected pins, and inkcarrying means held in position with regard to the chase, saidp-ins being arranged adapted to penetrate a plurality of sheets of paper after having passed through said ink carryingmeans.

J 4. A pin-chase for the purpose described,

comprising, in combination, a frame, a mass of pins arranged parallel with each other and abutting'each other in the frame, said pins being held in the frame so as to permit individual movement of selected pins, said pins havm with ink carrying pockets, and means pins mustpass when moved, said means includmg a peneti'able inking padr A I, 5. A pin chase for the purpose-described,

comprising, in combination, a frame, a mass of pins arranged parallel with each other within the frame, with the heads of the pins only exposed at the one opening of the frame," andthe other opening-of'the frame. havinga foraminated closure through which the points of the pins pass, said pins being held .in. the frame so as to permit selected pins to be moved individually, for the purpose described, said fora'minated closureintheir penetrating point portions"- eluding a metallic member and a penetrable inking pad held in place thereby on the chase.

6. A pin chase for the purpose described,

comprising, in combination, a frame, a mass ofpins arranged parallel with each other and abutting each other in the frame, said pi-ns'being held in the frame so asto permit individual movement of selected pins, said pinsthaving their pointed ends formed with ink carrying pockets, and means carried withthe chase through whichthe pins must pass-When moved, said means comprlsing a;

penetrable inking pad and foraminated sheets on bpth faces thereof, said pad andsheets being attached to the chase.

7 In a flat bed" manifolding device, the combination with. a platen on which plural sheets of paper are to 'be arranged, a pin' chase of the character described, means for retaining the chase over 'the.platen, and a typewriting machine having keys with ele- I vatedtype faces movableto operate in posi-- tions over said "chase,

. 8. Ina flatflbed maul-folding device, the

combination'with a platen on which plural sheets of paper are to be arranged, a pin chase 'o'f th'e character described, means for typewriterlocated over thesaid retaining" retainingthechase over the platen, and a typewriting machinemovable to operate in positions-over said'chase, a master sl1eet re- 4 taining means located at the. side of the platen, and an indicator movable with the means.

9. In mated manifolding device, the

combination with a platen on which plural sheets of chase of t e character described, rails on aper vjare to be arranged, a pin which saidchase is" adapted to'move, said rails being providedwith a devicefor elevat ing them to lift the chase and a rectifying device for returning depressed pins to normal position in the chase, said devicehav-.

ing rails-to receive the chase from the first mentioned rails and including a flat bed against which the chase is lowered.

10.. In a flat bed manifolding device, the combination with a platen on which plural sheets of paper are to be'arr'anged, apin chase of the character described, means for retaining th chase over the, laten, and a typewritmg machine movable 'to positions for, writing oversaid chase, said chase retaining means being adapted to be lifted'to remove the pins thereof from the paper. a

11. In a fiat bed manifolding device, the

I combination with a platen on which plural sheets of paper are to be arranged, a pin chase of the character described, means'for retaining the chase over the platen, and a typewriting machine movable to positions for writing over said-chase, said chase retaining means being adapted to be lifted to remove the pins thereof from the paper,

'to remove the pins thereof from the paper, 4

and a foraminated stripper plate mounted over the platen between it and the pin chase, said stripper plate having resilient mounting means tending to move it away' from the paper when the'chase-is lifted.

l3. In a'device of the character described, a platen on which plural sheets of paper are to be arranged, a plurality ofposts, astripper screen orthe like arranged on the posts, resilient means on the posts to hold the screen away from the paper, a chase supporting frame, means for raising and lowering it with relation to the screen and a pin chase of the character described mounted on the frame.

.14. In combination, aplaten, a rectifying device, including a flat plate, a supporting frame mounted over the'platen, means for.

elevating the frame and tilting it toward the I rectifying device, and rails in the rectifying 1 device, a pin chase of the character described, and rollers or the like on the chase adapted to engage on the frame and the rails, said frame and-rails being-arranged so that the chase will roll fromthe one to the other,

and means for lowering and raising the chaseon the rails, said rails passing across the said flat plate.

15. In combination, a platen, a rectifying device, including a fiat plate, a supporting frame mounted over the platen, means for elevating the frame and tilting it toward the'rectifyingdevice, and rails in the rectifying device, a pin chase of the character described,- and rollers or, the like on the chase adapted to engage on the frame and the rails, said frame and rails being arranged so that the chase will roll from the one to.

the other, and means for lowering and raising the'chase on the rails, said rails-passing across the said flat plate, and a hinged plateadapted to come down over the top of the chase and engagethe pins therein when the chase is lowered to a position of engagement with the flat plate.

16. A rectifying device for machines having a pin chase of the character described,

sald device comprising a flat plate, rails on which the chase will move across said plate,

' means for lowering the chase until the'pins contact with the plate, and a movable upper platehaving afixedlimit of movement, said plate being adaptedto come down over the upper ends of the pins in the chase when ing independent movement, means for holding the pins together; and means for 'd'e-' pressing selected pins to penetrate the plural copies, and means for applying ink to the pins, a frame, and means ,thereon to support a typewriter, the pin assembly and plural sheets of paper. y p

181 111 a fiat bed manifolding device, the

combination with a platen on which plural sheets of paperare to; be arranged, a pin said chasel, chase of the character described means tor retaining the chase over the platen, and a I typewriter machine movable to operate in positions over said chase, and means for rectifying the pins in the chase. Y

19. A'pin chase for thepurpose described,

comprising, All combination, a frame, a mass of pins arranged parallel with each other and abuttingeach other inthe frame; said pins being held in the frame so as to permit individual movement of selected pins, means for supporting the said chase, and a paper.

platen positioned .under the said chase, and a typewriter movable to 'positionsi'over the JOHN QJSHERMAK 

